Shiba Inu Training Secrets

The Shiba Inu is a very beautiful dog. However, behind that foxy face, is a dominant, stubborn, intelligent, and extremely mischievous personality. This can make them a challenge to care for.

Indeed Shiba Inus are not for the faint-hearted, and they are not recommended for first-time dog owners.

Shiba Inu Training Secrets.

Despite this warning, my heart was already set on a Shiba Inu puppy. I had a lot of free time then, so I thought I would be able to handle one little dog. After all, how difficult can a small puppy be?

Little did I know, a Shiba Inu can be a major pain in the ass!

Even dog veterans have problems with their first Shiba. In fact, many experienced trainers were unable to handle my Shiba Sephy.

Here are the Shiba Inu training secrets that helped me turn my devil dog into a model citizen. Well, maybe not a model citizen, but a fun citizen that I truly enjoy living with.

Do not be fooled - A Shiba Inu can be a major pain in the ass.

1. There are No Miracle Cures

When I first got Shiba Sephy, he was a big challenge.

Some of his favorite daily activities include biting my hands, running crazily around the house, biting on curtains, vicious leash biting, jumping on me and others, humping my leg, and much more.

I was desperate to get him under control, and did a lot of research online and off-line. I read a lot of online articles and bulletin boards. I called local dog trainers, watched all the dog training shows on television, and read a lot of dog training books.

During this time, I found something that looked like a miracle … a 10 minute Shiba online training program. According to this advertisement, there were some special “Shiba words” that will magically turn a Shiba into a Lassie. Yeah right!

Luckily, I did not succumb to my desperation, and did not buy this product.

The fact is, there are NO “miracle cures” for training a Shiba Inu.

The secret of Shiba training, is simply to exercise extreme patience, and find humor in our Shiba’s antics. Use reward obedience training, and always be firm but fair.

A Shiba will probably never be a Lassie, or perfect dog. However, if you are looking for a dog with a big personality, who will always make you laugh with his sneaky and roguish ways, then the Shiba Inu is for you.

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2. Use Passive Resistance

2. Use Passive Resistance.

Shiba Inus get bored easily and do not like being ignored.

The best way to deal with Shiba Inu misbehavior is through passive resistance.

Shibas get bored easily and do not like being ignored. They really enjoy their freedom, and also like being close to their human pack. We can control a Shiba best by controlling these most desired resources: our attention, and his freedom.

If we actively try to stop our Shiba either through physical punishment (e.g. alpha rolls, leash jerk) or active restraint, he will fight back. This encourages him to practice rough play, and biting on people.

If we back away, or become fearful of our Shiba, he will learn that he “wins” by showing dog aggression.

If we over-correct our Shiba by exerting too much physical force, or by correcting him too frequently, we will lose his trust, and it is difficult to regain a Shiba Inu’s trust.

What works best with a Shiba is NOT to engage in a physical competition, but rather to engage in a mental one.

There are certain resources that Sephy really enjoys including walks, treats, toys, and his freedom.

When I want to take him on his walk, I go to the door with his lead, and call him to me. Initially, he would dally and not really want to come, because he wants to go walking on his own schedule. I count to three. If he does not come, I leave and go about my own business.

After a short time, Sephy will amble over, and pester me to take him on his walk. This is done through begging, and whining. I ignore all this bad dog behavior. When I have a break in my schedule again, I repeat the above exercise.

A Shiba will quickly learn that to get the resources that he wants most (e.g. go on walks), he has to do it according to our rules, and our schedule. It is important to practice the Nothing in Life is Free (NILIF) program with a Shiba.

Set a Shiba Inu up for success, so that we can reward him frequently, and keep him interested in doing what we want.

Another Shiba favorite is to steal something he is not supposed to, and then run away with it, thereby engaging a fun chase game.

A Shiba Inu is very agile, and it will be difficult for us to catch him. I always try to keep an eye out for my sneaky Shiba, and stop him before he steals an object. I also put a drag lead on him, so that I can easily catch him by stepping on the lead.

Note: Use a regular flat collar with the drag lead, and not an aversive collar. Aversive collars such as prong collars or choke chains, should only be used during supervised training sessions. Cut the loop on the drag-lead, so that it does not catch on anything in the house.

Only give our Shiba Inu attention when he refrains from bad Shiba behaviors.

3. Rules, Rules, Rules

3. Rules, Rules, Rules.

No biting on people. Shiba Inu Sephy is redirected onto a toy.

Shiba Inus are naturally dominant. If we do not provide them with rules, that we consistently enforce, they will take over the house.

It is best to enforce those rules as early as possible. This ensures that Shiba does not develop any bad habits later on, that will be more difficult to break.

Some of Shiba Sephy’s rules:

1. No Biting

The most important rule that I place on Sephy, is no biting on people. Shiba Inus are a very mouthy breed. Their instinct is to use their mouth in a wide variety of situations, including when they are excited, frustrated, and fearful.

They also have large teeth, and can accidentally hurt children and seniors. If Sephy starts biting on me or on others, I no-mark the behavior (Ack, ack). If he continues, I put him on a time-out.

It is also important to teach a Shiba bite inhibition. In this way, when he loses control of himself and does bite, he will not cause much harm.

No food aggression.

No rough play with people.

2. No Food Aggression or Resource Guarding

Prevent our Shiba Inu from guarding resources. Shibas have a don’t back down, don’t surrender attitude. Therefore, the best way to teach them not to guard resources, is to use reward training techniques.

Show them that people and other dogs coming near them, while they are eating or playing with their toys, is a good thing. Prevent stealing, and practice exchanging objects. This teaches them that giving up something, does not mean it is gone forever.

If we use physical force to grab a toy away from our Shiba, he will likely become more possessive over his objects. He will also lose trust in us, and may use aggression to protect himself, and his belongings.

3. No Rough Play

I do not play rough with Sephy. He gets to wrestle with my other dogs, but no wrestling is allowed with humans.

I also do not play any dominance games with him, for example, no Tug-of-War. The few times that I did play Tug with Shiba Sephy, he followed very strict rules during the game. However, when I took him out for walks, he would start playing tug with the leash (leash biting).

Shiba Inu Sephy only does rough play with other dogs.

4. Socialize Our Shiba Inu

4. Socialize Our Shiba Inu.

Socialize our young Shiba Inu to many sights, sounds, and smells.

Shiba Inus have an extreme play style that many dogs may not like.

Shiba Inus can get aggressive to unfamiliar things including objects, dogs, people, and environments.

They are also naturally stubborn, and may become aggressive when forced to do things that they do not like.

Socialize our young Shiba to many sights, sounds, and smells, and he will be ready to handle new things as a confident, and well-balanced adult. Make sure that new experiences are always positive, and at worst, neutral.

Some things to consider while socializing our Shiba Inu:

1. Shiba Inus have an extreme play style, that many dogs may not like.

When he was young, I used to take Sephy to enclosed dog parks. During this time, his favorite play partners were larger dogs, and young Pit Bulls. Shibas like doing wrestling and rough play, which can easily overwhelm other small dogs.

Choose our Shiba’s play-mates carefully, so that a fun time can be had by all.

Shiba Inus dislike handling.

2. Shiba Inus dislike handling.

Socialize a Shiba to touching and grooming, as early as possible. Pair the touch and groom sessions with very good treats, so that he will associate handling with positive experiences.

Do not use physical force to do any grooming. This will make it into an unpleasant experience, and our Shiba will fight us every step of the way.

Instead, groom gently, and make it short, fun, and rewarding.

3. Shiba Inus do not generally like people petting them from above.

Petting from above can be seen as a dominance move by dogs, and Shibas may see this as a threat.

We can slowly desensitize our Shiba to this move, by pairing head petting with good food rewards. At the same time, instruct people to approach from under our dog’s head, and scratch his chest.

5. Control Our Own Energy

An important thing to remember while interacting with our Shiba, is to control our own energy.

Shiba Inus are especially sensitive to the energy of their owners, and the people around them.

When I first got puppy Sephy, he was extremely mouthy. In particular, he would resort to biting when I stopped him from doing something unacceptable.

This made me become afraid of him.

The more afraid I became, the worse Sephy behaved. As soon as I got fearful, he would start to hump my leg, grab my clothes, jump on me, or bite my hands, arms, and legs.

5. Control Our Own Energy.

Anger and frustration will also elicit extreme Shiba Inu behaviors.

Anger and frustration will also elicit extreme Shiba behaviors.

In the early days, I had a dog walker take Sephy out for group walks at the park. When the walker tried to stop Sephy from doing something disruptive, he would object, and try out one of his Shiba moves, including alligator rolls, leash biting, hand biting, and of course the Shiba scream.

The dog walker naturally got embarrassed when Sephy screamed like he was about to die. There were other people around, and some of them thought that she was mistreating the poor dog. Sephy easily sensed her embarrassment and frustration. From then on, the Shiba scream was his favorite weapon to use against her.

With a Shiba Inu, it is important to stay calm at all times.

Once I was able to control my fear and remain calm, things improved significantly with my Shiba Inu.

With a Shiba Inu, it is important to stay calm at all times.

If we lose our cool, Shiba will sense it and continue to use this weakness against us.

The best way to handle a misbehaving Shiba, is to stay calm, and remove him to a quiet, lower stimulus area, as soon as possible. If he continues with his bad behavior, he gets his freedoms revoked with a time-out. Remember that fear, anger, frustration, and other extreme emotions will only make the problem worse.

Once I was able to control my fear and remain calm, things improved significantly with my Shiba.

Sephy will never be a model-citizen, but nowadays, he is actually very fun to be with. He is goofy, he is funny, and he usually stays out of serious trouble.

Shibas can be a big challenge to live with, but they are well worth the effort. They have a great personality, and they are always up to something that will make us laugh.

I love my Shiba Inu.

He is one of my best buddies, and whenever I see him, I just have to smile.

Gotta love a Shiba Inu!

Comments

Hi I am getting a 17 week old Shiba Inu in 2 days time and have been reading up on your articles and they have been very helpful! I was just wondering when you say you put them in time out where was this? I don’t to use her crate as I want her to see this as her safe place.

I have a 4.5 month old Sheba puppy in New York City. He was remarkably quick at learning how to use his wee wee pads in the apartment. Now that he has all of his shots I have been taking him outside for, what I can only loosely call, “walks”. He is completely overwhelmed by the city noises and sounds. Just getting him to make his way to the street corner takes 10 minutes of coaxing and eventually dragging him to me when he won’t come.

Any tips on getting a dog who doesn’t enjoy being outside to walk? Eventually he needs to use the bathroom outside as well, but that step seems miles away if I can’t get him to start walking like he should.

I try to set my dog up for success by starting small, and slowly building up her tolerance. For example, I may start with shorter but more frequent outings, closer to the house, where my Husky feels safe. The more positive, successful outings we have, the more confidence my dog builds. Similarly, negative outings where my Husky goes into panic/high stress mode will undermine that confidence.

Therefore, I go at a pace that she is comfortable with, and only *very slowly* increase the environmental challenge.

I have 1 year and 4 months old shiba inu,shes beautifull but at times very hard dog to train.My brother brought her one day home,and we were all excited,although its our first dog we thought it wouldnt be a problem.He spent a lot of time with her,and mostly she was on a leash.When she was younger she ran from time to time not wanting to come.Meanwhile,brother went to work on a ship and left dog with me.She was suffering a couple of days but i think she got over it now.My problem is that im not a dominating person I lack self esteme,and thats the reason,i think,why she soemtimes dont even listen to me when i say to her come even though i practiced a lot with treats.Today for example i let her off the leash,and she was fine for a 10-15 minutes but then she saw some retriver that she “attacked” before(chased her with biting on her legs and it wasnt usuall game like with other dogs cause retriver was submisive and she screamed a lot).as soon as i saw retriver i stood up and said to my dog Come,Stand still and other commands but she despite that was going for it.Lea,my dogs name,looked like she didnt care about what was i saying and went to retriver whose owner was affraid of what Lea could do.Nothing happened with those 2 cause i was near them,i was following her talking Come and other commands.She backed a bit when i approuched but when i said stop,she was trying to run away from me and presenting it like its a game.When she stoped running i caught her and i did some beatings on her(2 times on her rear side,it wasnt much but she was submisive after that)I am calm person,and usually when something like this happens i can persuade her to come and not run away with calm tone,but today I lost control and i feel sorry for that now.I dont want to ever again come in this situation,so if you have some answers what can i do to make her listen to me i would be very pleased.

Shibas are generally known for their independence and stubbornness. Sephy also likes chasing things, especially moving things. In fact, a dog’s visual system is very attuned to motion.

Therefore, doing recall in a low stimulus environment (e.g. backyard) is very different from doing recall in an environment with distractions and lots of moving things. Here is an ASPCA article on the many techniques used to train a dog to come when called.

I usually start recall training in a very low stimulus environment, and *very slowly* build-up from there. As I increase the environmental challenge, I make sure to have Sephy on a long-line (or some other management tool), so that I always have control of the situation and can keep him safe.

For playing with other dogs, Sephy does best in small, very structured play-groups. Most of the time, we do one-on-one play sessions where I set-up clear play-rules, I supervise, and I throw in many play-breaks to manage his excitement level. I also make sure to pick his play-mates carefully, so that everyone can enjoy themselves and have a fun session.

Because of his independent spirit and natural stubbornness, Sephy is definitely *not* a yes-sir, no-sir type of dog. His recall can only be trusted to a limited extent, so I always keep him on-leash in non-enclosed spaces. At other times, I manage his environment carefully, so that I set him up for success.

Hi thanks for all the great advice. My girlfriend and I recently adopted a shiba who is now 3 months old. He’s a great pup but definitely exhibits every single undesirable action you described with Sephy. His potty training is going well, he’s learned simple ‘sit’, ‘down’, and ‘come’ commands, but my problem is I he doesn’t respond to ‘no’, or at least I haven’t found an effective way to deter unwanted behavior. The breeder suggested a slap on the snout with a firm ‘no’, but that only seems to encourage him. So when he bites everything (furniture, walls, me, everything) or humps uncontrollably, I can’t extinguish the behavior. Someone else suggested the old school spray bottle technique, but I have a feeling that will turn out like the slap on the snout. Any suggestions?

During the training period, I put a drag-lead on Sephy. I only do it when I am around to fully supervise him and I only use a properly fitted flat collar (*not* and aversive collar). Having a lead on him allowed me to more easily control him, and to effectively remove him to timeout without a fuss.

Hello. I’m gonna warn you now that I may ramble a bit. In advance, I apologize for that. So here we go.. Roughly two weeks ago, my fiance and I got a Shiba Inu named Fred. Love him to death, but he is quite the handful. Now, training him to go to the bathroom outside is going well. Socializing him with other animals is going great too. His buddies include his parents dogs, a Jack Russel Terrier and a Chihuahua (she’s not fond of him, but he likes her), and my parents dogs 2 Golden Retrievers. He has also played with my parents’ neighbors’ Blue-Nosed Pit. So as for “Socializing” he’s doing great. Here’s where my nightmare comes in.. his attitude.. Now as I stated earlier, I love this dog to death..but to me, it seems like he hates my guts. I guess it has to do with the dominance thing…but just last night, he lunged across the bed, grabbed a big wad of my hair, and started pulling my down.. (he’s pretty strong for a 9lb, 3 month old.) When my fiance went to reprimand him, he decided to let go of my hair, only to go after his face. That little episode got him put in time out. Now, I do have to take him and get him up to date on his shots.. He still has another “Distemper” shot coming his way. Will he calm down a little bit after this shot? Or is this just wishful thinking on my part? Anyways, I’m trying to remain as patient and calm as I can…but damn! those razor sharp puppy teeth are KILLER.. and that grip too. He’s already began showing his dominance with our niece.. When he knows that she’s afraid, he’ll grab hold of her pants with his teeth and start humping her leg, and he won’t let go. My mother-in-law has resorted to spraying him with a water bottle to try and stop him.. Any tips on what I should do with my little monster? I’ve read, and taken notes, on everything written above, and will be using these tips to try and shape him into a model citizen. I just need a little more help. Thank you for taking the time to read all of this. I hope to hear back from you.

I set up a fixed routine and a fixed set of rules for all of my dogs. Structure, rules, and boundaries are especially important for my Shiba Inu, and I also follow the Nothing in Life is Free program. I make sure to be very consistent with enforcing all my rules as well as with the consequences.

Being calm and decisive is very important with Sephy. This lets him know what behaviors are acceptable and what are not. During our difficult period, I made sure to always have a plan A, plan B, and plan C in my pocket for each of his bad behaviors. In this way, when he brings out one of his Shiba moves, I just follow the plan, which helps me to stay in control and to reduce stress.

Thank you! We are introducing another dog into our house and our once model citizen Shiba, yes, he really was, is presenting us with issues we haven’t had to overcome before with another dog. He has come so far in his acceptance of the new situation yet he still has a long way to go at times. The Shiba scream had me burst out laughing! The first bath we gave him we were sure the neighbors thought we were killing him. Now we just refer to him as the Drama King. 🙂 Keep up the great posts!

I was wondering what other dog breeds would you recommend as a companion to a shiba. Me and my wife are planning on getting another dog to join our family and we would like someone that’ll get along with our shiba 🙂

Hello Collin, That would depend a lot on the temperament of your Shiba, and what he enjoys doing.

Sephy (my Shiba) loved playing with other dogs when he was young. He still loves to wrestle, chase, and play pretty rough. As a result, he does not really do well with other small dogs or dogs that are his size. He gets along best with friendly dogs who love to play, who are relaxed, and who are bigger than him.

Both my Siberians love to wrestle, they are bigger than him so he can’t easily overwhelm them during play, and they are more happy-go-lucky. Sephy is a stress cadet, so it is really good to have more relaxed dogs as his companions. Otherwise, they would just stress each other out. Instead, Sephy has become more relaxed since the Huskies joined our family, so they have been a great influence on him.

I’m considering getting a shiba inu in about a years time, since i’m moving away from my home city, and gonna live on my own. I’ve been around animals my whole life, and i’ve taken care of dogs before and had up to 6 cat at once, in a small home, so i’m used to trash being digged through or clothes pulled out of the closet, if i haven’t closed the door properly, and much more. I have however never actually owned a dog. I am completely in love with Shiba dogs, and i do have the money to look after it, if it where to get sick. I know everywhere says that you should not get a Shiba as a first dog, but i am completely head over heels for it. I know where to get dog training, and i live in a country with alot of country side, and dogparks were the can exersize. I have some questions though, I hope its not too much trouble. >.< Do you have other articles or do you know other blogs i could read to prepare? Do you think it would be better to get a female or a male?

The best friend I ever had was my extremely large Rottweiler when we lived on our farm in the USA. Adorable as a puppy but quite destructive. They are a vicious breed and definitely a one person dog. As soon as he knew that I was the Alpha and neutering, he was very easily trained but only by me. Now we live and are retired in Taiwan and will be getting our shiba in a few days. After reading about the problems associated with shibas, it doesn’t sound too bad after raising my rotty. Sounds like most of the problems can be controlled by letting them know who is boss. By the way, I couldn’t bring my rotty to Taiwan for several reasons and had to have him put down. I fell in love with the shiba breed primarily because of its independent nature and believe me, that type of personality, if controlled, makes for the best dog you could ever hope for.

I have met some really friendly Rotties and some not so friendly ones. Part of a dog’s behavior is dependent on nature (genetics and breeding) and part of it is dependent on nurture (training, socialization, past experiences, routine, context, and more).

It is true that Rotties are bred to have a stronger guard instinct, but that can be put under control with careful socialization, training, and structured outlets for activity.

Hello, I wanted to ask some question about getting a shiba inu in Taiwan. May I ask you of the process you needed to go through in order to be able to adopt one… I am interested in adopting one but since I will be moving to Taiwan I am not very sure how that process work, would you be of any help.

I’ve had my shiba inu pup for about 2 months and he cries whenever I leave the room leave him with someone else to babysit or anything like that. He will scream over and over and rushes to me the next time I see him. Idk how to break the crying behavior 🙁 how would I get nobunaga (nobu for short) to be a tad more independent?

Two things helped with Sephy- 1. I slowly desensitized him to alone time. 2. I socialized him to other people, and slowly got him to trust other people. Sephy is a very loyal dog, so it also takes time and effort to earn his trust.

Some things that help with my Shiba- 1. I set up clear dog-to-dog interaction rules which I slowly teach to all of my dogs. For example, there is no bullying, no correcting each other, no stealing, and no humping.

2. I supervise them very closely especially during play-time and eating time. I use leads, baby gates, enclosures, etc. as necessary to keep things safe. If there are any conflicts, I deal with it in a fair and consistent manner.

3. I set up a fixed routine and a consistent set of rules for puppy.

4. I make sure my adult dogs can rest and relax away from puppy when they have had enough of puppy playfulness. Puppies are full of energy and want to play all the time – which can become annoying when an adult dog wants his own space or wants to just rest.

5. I create as many positive experiences for my adult dogs and my new puppy as possible. This helps them to view puppy as a big plus to their lifestyle, rather than an annoying pest or a competitor for their resources.

It seems it has been a while since anyone has commented on this page; so I was wondering if you are still active on this page?

I just got my 9-week-old Shiba Inu puppy, Hachi (yes, I named his after the famous Akita, Hachiko) three days ago and I love him! This being said, he is a handful and fits the stereotype of being a relatively difficult dog to train. I know it is still early on but I am so glad I found this website because it is helping both me and Hachi with our confidence together and helping me to train him.

The reward reinforcement system is definitely a great way to go with Hachi as he loves his treats! I’m just awaiting the days he gets smart enough to get what he wants and then goes off and does his own thing 🙁 haha.

He had a little bit of separation anxiety from his mother and siblings the first few days we had him but he seems to be improving and taking a liking to me and my girlfriend (we live together). He is still not potty trained however so I am starting him on a strict routine like you mentioned in your articles with Sephy and Lara and we’ll see how that works. My only problem is Hachi has not had his second set of shots yet so I do not want to take him outside for obvious reasons. So this confines us to our little apartment to teach him where to go potty. Any specific suggestions on how to potty train our Hachi using puppy pads inside our apartment? Anything helps, and thank you so much for your articles about your journey with your Shiba and Husky! It really helps first time dog owners like me out!

In terms of potty training, I had a backup potty space inside the house. I put up a puppy enclosure (on tile) and put the puppy pads in there. When my puppy needs to go, and I am unable to let her outside, I put her in her backup potty space (temporarily). If I need to step away to the bathroom or kitchen for a very short break, and cannot supervise, I will also put my puppy in there. In this way, she can’t get into trouble, and has a place to go if she needs to.

I will praise her after she does her potty on the pads and then let her out when she is done.

I replace the pads after each potty. I noticed that my puppy does not like going on pads that have already been soiled.

Hi All, I’m looking for the helpful tips that can make my Roxy Shiba Inu better, I just adopted her about 4 weeks ago, and she is 2 yrs old will be 3 this September, I’m the first time dog owner and admit that I didn’t really any research about her, all I want to adopt becos of her cuteness and faithful personality. Anyway, first of all she is very jumpy even a really low noise can make her jump, second I’d say she plays well with other same size or smaller dogs then her but not the bigger one; like my neighbors boxer and bull dog, she is so scared of them, I can tell she likes the boxer by the way she sniff him but when he tried to play with her, she screamed the hell out of her, I dont know what to do… Please help me. Third, she won’t listen to me and won’t play any games like usual dogs do, which I understand but is there a way that I can train her to at least listen to my command? I know this is very hard for me but I love her so much bcos sometimes she will listen to me bcos she just wanna go outside… I’m so upset the way she is, it makes me more sad bcos I can’t do anything to help her better. Oh last thing before I forget, we me and husband we live in an apartment and we go to work almost every afternoon but I’m home around 730pm and from 1-7p she is alone by herself in the kitchen and she keeps whining and screaming… 🙁 my neighbors think it is somebody/dog are in pain and asking for help… I appreciate any helps tips that could make her better and I do have trust in her that she can do it! Thank you.

and a lilttle bit about her ex-owner, I don’t know her very well but she is very attached to her ex-owner so I dont think she would have any abuse when she was with them that makes her jumpy all the time…

Roxy sounds like a really sweet girl who is maybe a little fearful of unfamiliar things that seem threatening – e.g. loud noises, large dogs, etc. My Husky Shania is also uncertain about loud noises, e.g. garbage truck, and about large dogs.

When there are large changes in a dog’s life (changes in environment, changes in family members), they will likely feel stress and may become anxious. Roxy has had to go through a lot of big changes lately, so it is natural that there would be stress and anxiety. When we moved houses, I helped to reduce my Shiba’s stress by – 1. Setting up a fixed routine right away. 2. Setting up a consistent set of rules and a consistent way of communicating with him. 3. Giving him more exercise in quiet areas that he is comfortable with.

When there are large changes, certainty helps to reduce stress. Therefore, I try to create as much certainty for my Shiba as I can, I carefully manage him and protect him from situations that he cannot handle, and I properly socialize him to new experiences but only in a positive way.

I am a first time owners of a Shiba and only had German Shepherds prior to owning sassy a 11 month old female Shiba. I know she is smart and to the point she knows she is not listening and to her that is fun time cause it is means i am going to try catch her. I think overall she has been a great pup and yes on the spectrum of dogs and to go from a Shepherd to Her wow she is off the charts for the time you will have to train compared to many other breeds so for the 1st time dog owner please do yourself and the dog a favor go to a real easy trainable breed and safe yourself some grey hair take care and have a safe day all.

This was a great well-informed article for potential Shiba owners. Wish I did my reasearch 7 yrs ago about breeds before I got Rocky as I was a first-time dog owner. I wet completely on looks was limited to a dog size, living in an apartment. I wanted a dog that looked like a big dog but ok for an apartment.

A lot of this article expresses what We went through with our Shiba…I was fortunate to find a trainer who had experience with Akita’s and Shibas…she was incredible and did a lot of work with him. They never will be the model canine, no one can believe mine is almost 7 cuz he still acts like a pup. I accept it and enjoy him! He’s my best little man.

I am going to be getting a shiba this June and I had one question. I know you have to be patient and persistent when training your Shiba but how long will it take to teach her all the basic commands so that she will behave? (sit, off, down, come, no) I just don’t want to teach her in the summer, not finish and go to school with a naughty dog at my house. Please help, Thanks!

Sephy picked up commands really quickly. He already knew how to do Sits when we got him (10 weeks old), and he picked up down, look, and others very quickly. Learning commands is only one part of the equation though. Sephy is very independent, and the more tricky part is motivating him to do the commands, and redirecting his energy into positive activities.

He was also very reactive, especially to other dogs. He would get over excited, and go a bit nuts, so I also had to do a lot of work in terms of socializing him to other dogs, and doing dog-to-dog desensitization exercises.

I set up a fixed set of rules for him, and a fixed routine. He picked up the rules pretty quickly but motivating him to follow rules is the greater challenge. For example, Sephy was very mouthy so we did a lot of bite inhibition exercises, and also bite redirection exercises. He also needed a lot of structured activities so that he has a positive place to put his puppy energy. His behavior is also very dependent on how I react to him, and my own energy. I need to be very calm, consistent, and have a good plan.

I noticed a big improvement in Sephy’s behavior at around 6 months, and then even more after 1 year. However, I made a lot of mistakes with Sephy in the beginning, primarily with using aversive training techniques. If I had started with more research and training knowledge, things probably would have improved sooner. Still, stubbornness is a common Shiba trait, and that is one of the more difficult parts of training a Shiba.

I love your articles, I have a Shiba myself and it has been 2 years (she turns 3 in September). She is the most amazing animal ever. As I type this up she is lying beside me on my bed (a treat for her as I don’t normally let her). I am a teen girl but grew up with 2 Siberian Huskies, 1 red, 1 black and white, both stubborn dogs as most Huskies are. They passed a couple years ago along with my adopted cat, as sad as it was I would not take back time as selfish as it seems because I love my beautiful baby girl. She has gone threw all the problems you have said (she still steals my socks for a game of chase) and she is harder to train and gain her attention, but it was worth the time.

I now have a girl that responds (or that at least shows that she heard me) and that knows the basics like “Sit” “Down” “Stay” “Off” “Up” “Beg” and “Shake” along with the more advance tricks like “Crawl” “Spin” “High Five” and “Handstand” (handstand is not a command but more of a trick she learnt to pee in the higher places like her brother).

Over all Shiba Inus are a joy, they must always know you are the boss though. I make her wait in till I give her the command to eat, that I go downstairs first and to even tolerate kids petting her.

Only real problem I have is her curling her lip at yippy hyper dogs, but she would never bight them. Funny thing is, is that she turns into that hyper dog with the bigger boys, she thinks she belongs with them.

Anyways to help her not be short tempered with them?

One time you think they are calm, but next they are like an alarm setting off into hyper-ness.

hello! my husband and i have a 6 month old shiba and shes actually pretty terrific. very minimal problems. we think we messed up with her training, by constantly changing from not yelling to yelling, so we think she has a problem learning. she knows what a few words mean but my main concern is she doesnt seem to know how or when to tell us she needs to use the bathroom. we always put her outside during the day (seeing as im also 6 months pregnant, and hes at work, its easier than to constantly get up to let her in and out) but now we want to change that so she can tell us when she needs to go. problem is, she doesnt. even if we have her outside for an hour, bring her in and watch her, play with her, etc, she’ll randomly pee on the carpet and its something that we want changed by the time the babys born (if possible!) the only way she tells us she wants outside is by going to the door but.. we soon realized shes only doing that to tell us shes bored. she doesnt whine, barely ever barks, and doesnt get in our face to get our attention. is there a way to teach her to tell us when she NEEDS to go outside versus when she WANTS to go outside?

Congratulations on your new Shiba puppy! She sounds like a wonderful girl – especially for a Shiba. 😀

In terms of potty training, I think the most important thing is supervision. When I got Husky puppy Lara, I made sure to watch her like a hawk and also set up a very consistent schedule. The consistent schedule helps me to better predict when she needs to go potty, so I can take her out and reward her very well with attention, food, and a very fun game when she does the right thing.

If she starts to go inside the house, I no-mark, interrupt her, and take her outside. If she continues to go, then I reward her very well. If she does not go, then we come in after a short time, and there are no rewards.

As for wanting vs. needing, I had to go through some of that with Shiba Sephy. We did not have a backyard when we first got Sephy, so he would often go to the door because he wants to go outside, look at people, and sniff the wind. I would take him outside on-leash, go to his potty spot, and say “Go Potty”. If he does his business, I reward him very well with attention and a fun outside game. If he does not go, we just come back in. Then, there is a 20 minute black-out period where we don’t go out again even if he goes to the door.

In this way, he learns that going to the door when he does not need to potty is not rewarding at all because it only results in us coming back inside.

To fulfill his outside needs, I increased the frequency and length of our walks (we would walk more often and for a longer period of time). In this way, he gets his exercise, gets to be outside, and is happy to hang out or play inside the house the rest of the time. Now, we have a fully enclosed backyard, so Sephy gets to go out or come in whenever he wants.

Great article that I will re-read several times to work on a couple of mistakes with my Shiba. He’s 6 months old, I recently taught him how to roll over, and man is he deceptive! He saw me grab a treat and came over whining why I didn’t give it to him, I ignored his whines and noticed him sitting down, laying down, and rolling over without me saying a word. He got it because he made me laugh so hard, I loved his deception lol.

Well I made a deal with my parents about getting a shiba inu puppy if I lose 75 lbs and I have been reading books and info about the breed and the dog it’s self. I told my mom to look up the Shiba scream on YouTube it shocked my mom and dad. I’m ready to take the task of raising a shiba pup. Any advice?? Or other useful info

Hi, I’ve had my shiba puppy for four months now and he is the most wonderful animal on Earth. I was kind of cautious buying him knowing all the opinions regarding the breed. But my experience with my shiba tells me this is a dog that can be handled easily if handled properly. Of course he still is a puppy and growing into adulthood with all related challenges but so far he hasn’t cause much trouble. All I’ve learned is that this dog is healthy on mind and body when properly stimulated. What is necessary is enough physical exercise and mental stimulation that builds strong bond between me and my dog. What I can say after these 4 months spent together is that my dog is calm, loves interaction, loves long walks and other people and dogs. He doesn’t show any aggressive behavior. Once it happened to him at play I immediately eliminated such behavior but focusing his attention on something else, stop playing, or by “time out”. Or I just held him in one position calmly so that he could feel my energy. I play a lot with him, I throw him his beloved ball which he brings back to me (yes…he does it), I hug him and this all creates a strong bond. He is patient at grooming, never aggressive. Being consequent and loving the the KEY. What is more who we are and what we are will be shown in the behavior of our dogs. Like with kids 🙂 All the best to all shiba owners:)

Hi I need help with my Shiba inu I am 14 and I used to my family that we should take him to the park and we let him off his leash when we were in the baseball field. So when we did one of the doors blew open and he ran and when I got him I did know what to do be aggressive or be nice. Thank for reading.

Dogs, especially young dogs will want to explore and chase after small animals. That is natural dog behavior. What helps with my dog is to –1. < a href="http://www.aspca.org/Pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-articles/teaching-your-dog-to-come-when-called">Do recall training.

I make sure to reward him very well for coming back to me, or for stopping and letting me get to him. This will motivate him to keep coming back. If I punish my dog for coming or stopping, then next time he won’t come and won’t stop.

2. Set my dog up for success.

I don’t expose my dog to more than he can handle. We start training in a quiet environment, e.g. our fully enclosed backyard, where there are very few distractions. As we progress with our training, I very slowly increase the environmental challenge. The more often my dog “comes” to me, the more often he will repeat that behavior. The opposite is also true.

3. Keep my dog safe.

Recall is never 100% reliable. All dogs have prey drive, and while we may train them to have a strong recall, the drive to give chase may sometimes be so strong that the recall fails. Shibas are bred to be hunting dogs, so they generally have a healthy prey drive. When I go on walks in places with cars, I make sure to always use a leash with a no-slip collar.

Hi, my husband and I are currently thinking about adopting a 3 year old male shiba inu that is in need of a home. we have one shiba inu mix right now, but unfortunately that has not prepared us very well. Our shiba rocky is an anomaly. he does not bolt and can be walked off a leash. he doesn’t fight over food or objects, and he has never bitten anyone. he is the most tame, affectionate dog ever. when he was a pup he was a handful but that was trained out of him in a very different way than shiba training would dictate. He was popped if he got aggressive or tore something up. and we now use harsh sounds if he doesn’t listen and that’s all it takes. after doing some research I’m worried my husband and I won’t be able to handle a normal, non-exception shiba. Are all shibas aggressive? does anyone else actually have a naturally tame shiba inu? Or do we need to start learning new training methods fast?

My Shiba is a difficult dog to train because he is very very stubborn, very mouthy especially in his youth, can be obsessive, mischievous, wants to do things according to his own particular style, and is very very stubborn! 😀

Of course, each Shiba will be different, and there will be some Shibas that are less stubborn than others. However, as a breed, they are definitely on the more challenging side of things.

With proper training, supervision, and management, a Shiba can be a good and loyal companion. However, training will take a fair amount of time, effort, and patience. My Shiba is also a lot more aloof than my other dogs.

I read on one of your articles that you stick to a daily schedule including play time, obedience training, supper, etc. I am getting my first shiba on Saturday and have read the majority of your extremely informative and helpful site to be best prepared. As you most definitely seem to be a pro at this is it possible that you would share the schedule that you follow or one that you would recommend? Being that my shiba is only 2 and a half months old I am not certain of his aggression/energy level yet. Thank you so much for this entire site, it is beyond helpful!

In terms of schedules, I think it is best to be flexible and adjust it according to the puppy’s temperament, energy level, as well as the surrounding environment.

With my Husky puppy Lara, we got into a routine where she would sleep for about 1.5-2 hours, and then we would have 2 hours worth of activity, and then she would take another nap. I take her outside as soon as she wakes up, take her to her potty spot, and give her the “Go Potty” command. She usually has to go when she wakes up, so it is a great way to help her associate the location and command with the behavior.

At night, she went to sleep at around 8 or 9. We stopped giving water about 2 hours before that. We also limited activity before sleep time and made sure not to give her any dry food that may make her feel thirsty. Still, she frequently needed to go out at least once at night, usually around 2am or so. She slept in her crate in our bedroom, and let us know when she needed to go. Then, all the dogs get up at around 5 or 6am. Once Lara was potty trained, things got a lot easier, and she needed less supervision.

To keep her occupied during her waking hours, I did obedience training, some leash training in the backyard, grooming exercises, hugging exercises, and some play. The rest of the time, she spent working on frozen Kongs. Frozen Kongs are a great way to keep a young, energetic puppy occupied. 😀

Lara really loves eating, so she very much enjoys working on food toys. I also help her with getting food out from her Kong, since in the beginning, she had a difficult time getting some of the bottom stuff out. This also helps her to associate people in a positive way with eating, and it teaches her to see me as an ally and as a source of “good stuff”. I follow the Nothing in Life is Free program with all of my dogs. It is a great way to teach-them and motivate-them to follow house rules.

I had a very difficult time with my Shiba, Sephy, when he was young. He taught me a lot though. One of the most important lessons I learned is to always keep an open mind and to be flexible about things. I try to observe my dogs as much as I can and understand the things that they like and don’t like. Then, I adjust my training and routine to suit their individual needs and preferences. I continue to observe and adjust, even now, and even though they are older.

When it comes to dog training, there will always be many people who claim to be experts and give lots of (often conflicting) advice. I try to do my own research, gather information from many different sources, and most important of all, listen to what my dogs are saying to me. Learning to communicate and listen to our dog, I believe, is the true path to success and to building an enduring bond.

Finally, make sure to take lots of pictures! Shibas grow up very quickly, and I really regret that I didn’t take more pictures of Sephy when he was a puppy.

Give your Shiba puppy a big hug from me when you get him! Have you decided on a name yet?

First off, thank you so much for hosting this site. I found a lot of great information on this page.

As of yesterday I am the proud owner of a 3-month old Shiba Inu. Actually, my newly adopted 11-yr old daughter is the owner. We named our Shiba “Kinley” (my grandmothers maiden name). I can already tell that Kinley is going to be a wonderful handful. She has high energy, personality, intelligence, and attitude – exactly like my daughter!

I will be sure to post up my thoughts and any questions I have as we emBARK on this new adventure.

I have 2 Shiba Inus. A 7 yhear old name Ping (female) and a 7month old male, Rocky. Ping has not warmed up to Rocky and the situation has now escalated to serious snarling. My husband and daughter both got caught in the fray Sunday and were both seriously bitten by Rocky. Rocky also has bitten (real bites, puncture wounds) every member of the family, typically when we have taken an inappropriate stolen object (cheese wrapper, a cracker box, a slicce of pizza) from him. I am seeing a professional dog trianer Thursday but am throwing this out there to get any feedback from other Shiba parents and am wondering if anyone else has had this degree of biting. Thanks! Tina

As for introducing a new dog, here are some things that help with Sephy – 1. I set up clear and consistent interaction rules (e.g. no stealing). In this way Sephy knows exactly what is acceptable behavior towards puppy, and puppy knows what is acceptable behavior towards Sephy.

2. I make sure puppy does not disturb Sephy when he just wants to rest. In general, I make sure to set both dogs up for success and make their time together with positive, or at worst, neutral.

3. I supervise closely during play and manage their excitement level. I do this by throwing in a lot of play breaks where I call puppy over and get her to do some obedience commands. I reward puppy extremely well during such times so she is very happy to come. This gets her to calm down and to refocus on me before going back to playing.

4. If someone plays too rough or doesn’t follow play rules, I stop play briefly. If the same dog continues to misbehave in exactly the same way, then he goes to timeout.

5. I do group obedience sessions so that Sephy learns that being calm and working cooperatively with puppy, for me, gets him the best rewards.

Hi, We recently got another Shiba Inu (Lola) to keep our 2 yr old Shiba (Chancho) company. She is truly an amazing little dog and is onl about 1.5 years old. However, we have been having some problems with her lately every time we take her for walks. She constantly pulls on the leash and tries to jump on other dogs. When we take them to the dog park, we never have a problem letting her go, she comes back and checks in with us every 10-15 minutes. And she plays just fine with other dogs, never growls or tires to bite. But when we are walking on a leash, she’s so mean to other dogs! It’s like we have a totally different Shiba! We are taking her to obedience training in the spring, but is there anything I can do until then?

When my shiba pull on the leash, I reduce slowly the size and I look in the opposite side. When he feels that the leash size is reduced, he starts to look at me and see that I totally don’t care about what he is doing and he stops because he knows that he is doing this for nothing. If he keeps pulling, I walk on the opposite side and I only come back when he stops. During all the times I don’t give him a single look. and I take care of something else.

He is also very sensitive to finger snap so I distract him with several fast snap and I suddently become the most attractive things in the landscape because for Hiro, finger snap = cool reward.

Yeah, many dogs react differently when on a leash. A leash limits the dog’s freedom, and it can cause- 1. More anxiety for some dogs, because the leash prevents them from fleeing if the need should arise. 2. More frustration for some dogs, because the leash prevents them from getting to another dog, limits their movement, and may get in the way.

This is especially so when meeting another dog, especially a new dog. A greeting is usually very exciting and also quite stressful at the same time; not too different from when we meet somebody new. We don’t know if we will enjoy the encounter, be bored, or be hurt by it.

We did a lot of dog-to-dog desensitization exercises with Sephy, and I think they were helpful in raising his instinct threshold, and also in teaching him alternate behaviors for managing his excitement and stress during dog encounters.

I just adopted a 2 and half months shiba inue. He is very cute, he already ask to go out for his need and he is not (yet) destroying my appartment :). I’m very happy but I have a problem when it’s time to sleep. He hates being alone and it’s a big problem because I’ll have to let him alone for some hours everyday. When I let him alone, he starts crying and then he scream like a wolf. For the first night he only do this for 10 min but yesterday he screamed 1 hours ! My wife had to go to sleep on the blanket near him because he was too afraid of being alone and when she was with him, he stopped screaming immediatly and started sleeping.

He just leaves his mother so I understand that he is afraid of being abandoned, but I need some tips to make him understand that there is nothing to be afraid of.

Yeah, Sephy was the same way when we first got him. What worked best was to just have his crate in the bedroom. In this way, he gets to be with his people, it helps with bonding, and he can’t cause mischief.

Some people suggest using a heartbeat pillow or calming scents. I have not tried this, so I am not sure how well they will work on a Shiba. Here is a bit more on dog anxiety and possible steps.

we got our shiba at 7 weeks old he’s now 13 weeks old and he is precious! he is cuddly and lovable. Indiana loves to be held and kissed. I don’t see him as aggressive just as a typical puppy he can leap pretty high 2 to 3 feet. we love and adore our shiba… Indiana jones

Hi! When we got our first puppy, he would cry all night. We used a water bottle full of really hot water wrapped in an old towel, made it feel like another body in the kennel with him and he stopped all the crying and whinning. He is now sleeping in our room in his own bed. 🙂

Thanks a lot for all your replies. I know that let him sleep in our bedroom would have solve the issue for the night but I was afraid to let him alone during the day and putting his crat in our bedroom would’nt prevent him to scream during the day. Fact is that we do not allow him to go in the bedroom because we want to keep a “chief” position with him. We finnally decided to give him access to our bedroom door (He was in an other bedroom initially) so now he can sleep closer to us but not in our bedroom. He cry a bit first but after a calm “no”, he stop crying and leave is own life without us.

I think that he also feel less “confinement anxiety” because instead of a single room, he has acces to a room, a corridor and a bathroom (with a very very cool low price carpet to chew)

Our problem seems totally solved now and we’ll keep using all the amazing tips in this website.

@Gaby: Hot bottle works one night only. Now it seems that he totally don’t care about it so we removed it.

Hi, I just adopted an 11 month old shiba. He is actually much better than I expected after reading everything about them. I was nervous going in but considering both my 14 and 4 year olds were begging me I gave in. He is very gentle, and pretty calm. He has escaped the leash though and my son had to chase him all over town and almost watch him get hit by a car a few times and he is not been great with his bathroom behaviors. We are being consistent and have been trying not to be overly tough considering he is over all been good and it has only been a week tomorrow. Any advice on these issues and good resources for train their breed specifically. He does sit, stay(in the house), does bite never hard though (which we’re working on also), not aggressive to people or dogs or cats want to play, and even is not a begger. We are in love with him already but we want to keep him safe most of all.

How did he escape? Did he slip out of his collar? What type of collar and leash is he using?

Sephy used to slip out of his collar during walks. At that time, we were using a regular flat collar. The problem with the flat collar was that it tended to slip; so it would get slightly larger and larger through use. I kept having to readjust it so it doesn’t slip out of Sephy’s neck. In addition, the flat collar I was using had a plastic tab, which did not seem the most secure.

I am now using the Premier martingale collar (only during walks) for its no-slip properties. I adjust the collar so that at its tightest, it is the size of a flat collar. Sephy has never slipped out of this collar.

Before this, I also tried using a buckle collar, which also worked well. However, it is more difficult to put on and take off compared to the martingale.

Yes that was it exactly. He slipped right out of the collar. We are using a harness now but the collar you mentioned sounds like it would work well also. Thank you. I would really love to be able to have him off leash and listen. I pray there are no more escape attempts but I feel like its inevitable with 2 other kids. Have you heard of any tricks to help with them being off leash and staying close besides in fenced in areas. I live in an apartment complex so that is not an option. He could be off the leash in the park here though if I wasn’t so worried about him sprinting away through the busy streets in town. We are going to take a training class at pet smart to hopefully help with that also. He(Delray) is a very good boy though:)

As far as the potty training Delray was house broken so it is just strange to me he is having such a hard time with it now. It is almost like he is only going in the house and we are bringing him out every hour and then some. Last night my husband and him were out for an hour walking then waiting for pottying and nothing. Then as soon as he came in he pooped in my daughters room. He has not pooped outside since we have had him. He has only gone every other day and in different rooms every time right in front of us. What are your thoughts about tying him out to go potty to separate potty and play time. Right now we go to the right to potty and left to walk and play. Also Delray is used to a fenced in yard so we are thinking it might be a privacy or an on the leash thing.

On another note I really love your time out idea, I do it with the kids so that would be awesome to do with Delray too. Would it be alright to do with a second crate also or just our half bath which is very very small. Do you think it would be alright to give it for pottying in the house (if he is caught in the act because we bring him out after and he never goes again) or just for other things.

Thank you for all your advice! The site has been such a help and the only thing I have really found to be helpful with his breed:) Hugs to your beautiful pups too!

Shibas are generally independent and stubborn though, so recall training can be challenging. Most Shibas are not to be trusted off-leash, in non-enclosed spaces. Sephy only comes when he feels like it, or is really interested in what I have at the time.

I have only let Sephy off-leash (in non-enclosed areas) a few times. It was in really large parks, and only when we were far far away from traffic. Sephy loves other dogs, so we would do a group dog-walk. We can then call in one of the other dogs, and Sephy would follow him/her back. 😀

As for timeouts, unfortunately, I *do not* think that they will help with potty training. In this case, it is not the potty behavior that is “undesirable”, just the location. Therefore we want to focus on teaching our dog where the right location is. Using timeouts in this situation may cause confusion, or the dog may learn to just do his potty in the timeout area. The best way, I have found, to potty train my huskies is to minimize mistakes in the house, show them what the right behavior is, and reward them very very well for doing their potty outside.

To minimize mistakes in the house, I supervised Lara really well during her potty training period. If I am unable to watch her, then I put her in an enclosure with puppy pads. All other times, I am watching her, and I take her out as soon as I notice her showing any of her potty signals (e.g. Lara likes going to corners to potty). If I miss her signals and she starts to potty, then I interrupt her, and take her outside right away. Since I interrupted her, she will usually continue as soon as we stop outside. In this way, I can reward her really well for doing the right thing. I reward her by playing with her and giving her high priority food that she only gets for pottying outside.

In this way she learns that – potty inside = no reward & gets interrupted potty outside = games, attention, food, and more!

Consistency and supervision were probably the two most important things while potty training my Huskies. I also make sure to clean up previous potty spots very well.

Happy Newy Year! Yay Delray is 3 days accident free! I was still wondering what you thought about a tie out or a runner. Just for short potty breaks or just short outside time when he is wound up and I can’t take him for a walk. My 2 other kids keep me busy too..lol. Also do you think it is alright to use the second cage for timeouts. Thanks for all your help, sorry to be a pest but you seem to be my best resource at the moment:) Best wishes for the new year!

It would depend a lot on the environment outside. I am generally not a fan of outside tethers because a dog can get really excited when they see squirrels, cats, other dogs. That excitement can quickly turn into frustration, when the dog keeps pulling and can’t get to his target. Dogs kept on a tether can also get protective over their tether area.

There are a couple of dogs that I see on a tether in their front lawn when I am walk Shania, and they go totally nuts whenever anybody passes by, or even when they see a dog from a distance. Their surrounding environment is pretty high stimulus, but no matter how hard they try, they cannot interact with it. It seems they spend most of their time trying to escape.

I imagine it also depends a lot on the temperament of the dog, prey drive, protective drive, etc.

Also do you think it is alright to use the second cage for timeouts.

Personally, I would stay away from using crates for any kind of punishment. We have different crates upstairs, downstairs, and in the car. I find that it is easiest to teach my dogs to associate all crates with positive experiences.

I do want to say though that what I share here is based on my own experiences with my dogs and based on what I have read. The Shiba Inu forum is also a good place to get thoughts from other Shiba owners.http://www.shibainuforum.org/forum/

Hi there, I’ve been reading a lot on your site and was hoping because your experience might be similar to mine, you can offer some tips. I’ve also gotten my first puppy and it’s also a Female Shiba Inu. I have noticed that she loses interest quickly and even without cage training, she was curious enough to eventually go in on her own and now that’s her favorite spot. Little by little I’ve been increasing the time with the door closed with me nearby. My Shiba, Tali is her name, I’ve learned that she can understand two claps and a firm “no” for example if she’s trying to chew the christmas tree skirt. Of course motivating her on the other hand, is a bit more of a challenge. I asked her to come to me at one point, and she literally sat there and tilted her head at me like, “What are you doing human?” It amused me but I’d like to find ways to engage her so she won’t be bored. I worry that she’s in her cage a bit too much but I’ve just gotten her a few days ago so I’m hoping with time, she’s just getting used to her new home. My real issue is potty training. Right now Tali is feeling a little ill so my Vet recommended to keep her war, (it’s cold out for our winters 30 degrees-ish) and I’d like her to learn to go on the pads when we are inside. I tried rubbing some of her urine on a pad or surrounding it with a playpen. This morning something must’ve clicked with her because she went to the pad on her own and did her business. While crate training though, I left the door closed for 2 hours and let her out when she began to whine a little (and I realize she’s a quiet dog so sound in a cage might mean hey- I gotta go!) so I let her out and I guess the two hour test was a no go bc she had to go immediately after I let her out. She’s 3 1/2 months. I know I’m definitely in for the ride of my life but I’d like to give a good honest effort before saying I can’t do it. (I guess I’m just as stubborn as she is). So any tips on motivation or potty training would be awesome. And also how to get her interested in her toys more. Thanks so much and your site has been so helpful so far.

Yeah, Sephy can also be difficult to motivate. He likes new things but is not very interested in regular food or toys. However, he really loves to play, especially chasing and shredding games. He also values his freedom in the house and likes being able to see his people.

I learned with Sephy that the best way to motivate him is to work with his innate likes and dislikes. During puppyhood, I would play a game with him when he does a successful potty outside. Since he likes chasing games a lot, it was a very good reward and motivator (for him). He also values his freedom very much, so timeouts are very effective with him. I make sure not to overuse it, but it was helpful to discourage him from biting and humping.

Also, Sephy is more motivated by food when he is hungry, so I time my teeth brushing session before his dinner time, and I use cheese; which he only gets during teeth brushing and at no other time. This helps to raise the priority of the food reward.

Thank you so much for the advice. I have learned that Tali is willing to work with me when she knows there’s a treat in for her haha. So far she’s getting the hang of “sit” and “no”. Potty training is starting to improve as well (she still has accidents but significantly less haha). I’m still reading this site and it continues to be helpful. Thanks again!

Hello ! I got a shiba inu female. She is very stubborn. She turned 1 today. She used to hump my leg, steal food, and run out te door when I open it. She did the same thing to me today ! How do I stop her from running out the door ? I have the sit, lay down, and stay down. But if I end up just leaving she will run right past me. She is a beautiful dog and I love her. But I need some advice on her. Is female different than male in dominance, or even in ways? I also want to know if I can train her to stay when she is outside without a leash. Thank you ! Any advice is most appreciated.

HI THERE, I JUST BOUGHT A 7 MONTH OLD SHIBA. we haven’t collected him yet but i am wondering, as i am a student and i have to be in school for quite a long time, since it is 7 months, i will be able to crate it up for up to 8 hours? and should i put it’s toys inside its crate?

My Shiba Sephy really enjoys his freedom. During the day, Sephy does not like being in a crate for any extended period of time, especially when he is home alone. He sleeps in his crate at night, but I did a lot of crate training exercises with him and we also have his crate right in the bedroom with us.

Also, Sephy needed a fair amount of structured activity and exercise especially during his younger days. I had a rough start with Sephy because I did not anticipate how difficult he could be, and how much time I would need to put into training and managing him.

When Shibas get unhappy, they can become quite destructive and will treat everyone to very loud “Shiba Screams”.

My husband and I recently got a Shiba Inu puppy. He is 4 months and sometimes he is very loving and sweet and will listen to us. But sometimes he is the complete opposite. He is biting everything, including us and actually breaking skin. When he gets into this mode its difficult to stop him or redirect him to his toys..he walks around with his mouth wide open ready to bite anything he can. We have tried replacing our hands or any other object with his toys but that lasts for one second, we have tried putting him in his crate and once hes calm we let him out but then he just starts up again, a lot of sites have said to ignore him and walk away but as you are walking away he will bite your calves and then once you get away from him he starts chewing at cabinets, the wall, the molding. I can’t just ignore that or he will slowly destroy our house (he has already bit a whole in the wall). This is our first puppy and I feel like we are in over our heads, can you give us any advice?

I don’t do timeouts in the crate because – a) I want the crate to be a positive and safe space that my dogs associate with sleeping, eating, and relaxing. b) I usually put the crates in people places, so that they get to be with people even while in their crates. This makes it less appropriate as a timeout area because it is still pretty high stimulus. I.e. the dog can look out and see lots of things happening around him.

Instead, for timeouts, I use a safe and very low stimulus room that is out of the way, e.g. the laundry room.

3. To stop biting on furniture, I no-mark (Ack-ack) and then I body block the dog away from the area. Then I give him an alternate command and get him to do something else. When Shiba Sephy was young, I kept him in the kitchen with me for a big chunk of the time. I installed a baby gate at the kitchen entrance so he still gets to roam about, but I can keep an eye on him. In this way, he can only get into a very limited amount of trouble.

4. Finally, Sephy is very sensitive how I am feeling. If I get angry, frustrated, or stressed, he will pick up on that energy and get even more crazy. I get the best results when I stay calm, and have a plan for each of his undesirable behaviors. Then, I just focus on executing the plan.

Sephy and I had a very difficult beginning, but now, things are a lot better. Here is a bit more on our early experiences-Early days with Sephy.

Your website has extremely helpful information! We have a 1 year old Shiba named Boone and he is such a ham. He is neutered, which has helped a lot with his social skills and has depleted his aggression, which was never very bad. One thing that is very strange about him is that he wants to be pet ALL THE TIME. I mean all the time. And he will whine and raise his paw and swat you if you do not respond. We did not expect him to be so affectionate or climb all over us wanting to be touched 24/7. Is this typical? We are picking up a sister Shiba for him in a week because he absolutely LOVES the company of other dogs, male or female, small or large. We think this might help or hurt his attention issues. What do you think?

We did not expect him to be so affectionate or climb all over us wanting to be touched 24/7. Is this typical?

How adorable! I don’t think this is very typical Shiba behavior. Sephy will sometimes paw us for food, but never for affection. 😀

We are picking up a sister Shiba for him in a week

Awww, that is awesome. Boone is such a lucky guy. If I had to guess, I think it will help with his attention issues. When we got Shania, Sephy absolutely loved it and wanted to be with her all of the time.

Let us know how things go with the new pup. What are you going to name her?

I didn’t think so! He is very needy and touchy which is very endearing because we love to love on him. He likes his head to be rubbed most. He does this strange thing when he wants you to play with him where he swats you with his rear end.

We haven’t decided on a name yet. We have a couple in mind, but we like to see her first to see what will fit her personality! We are very excited to complete our Shiba family 🙂 I have to say though I can’t imagine DOUBLE the hair haha.

Hello!! okay i have some issues with my 1yr old Shiba Inu Kenji. Everytime i walk him and he sees people he gets nervous and i just don’t understand why. He tends to shake and whine a lot. Is there any tips you can give me to break him out of his whiny/nervousness? Please it would mean the world if you can slightly help me make this better.

Dogs can get anxious of new things, new people, new objects, etc. Lara was quite tentative when she first saw Halloween decorations around the neighborhood, especially the ones that move from the wind. 😀

I usually do desensitization exercises to help my dogs gain confidence, and re-associate a previously scary stimulus with something positive. Here is how I do people desensitization exercises with my dogs.

I bought my first Shiba 2 weeks ago and though stubborn at times is an overall absolute DOLL! She loves meeting new people, loves playing with other dogs and her energy level is just endless. (Which is great because mine is too! I needed a dog to keep up with ME!)

I was wondering if you actually had any Shiba Inu Owners book(s) that you’d recommend? I absolutely believe that the more I understand about Shiba’s overall the better time I’ll have training her.

In terms of Shiba specific books, I haven’t really found any that are truly outstanding. I read a few of the popular ones that I found on Amazon, but most of the useful information I got on Shibas I found from visiting online forums and other online sites by Shiba fans. I also learned a lot from Sephy. 😀

My favorite general dog-book is Bones Would Rain from the Sky by Suzanne Clothier. It is *NOT* a training book, but more of a dog relationship book. It really changed the way that I thought about Sephy during our difficult time.

Hey! I have a 7-month old female Shiba named Cali. She is very sweet, loving, and everything inbetween. I have read countless times that they are extremely easy to potty train, but I’m having a small problem. Everytime a bedroom door is open in our house besides mine, she immediately jumps on their beds and goes to the bathroom! She is very good about going to the bathroom outside and waiting by the door, but for some reason she will not stop with the beds. I got her in April and only had two roomates at the time, now there are six more people and two other dogs in the house. Is it possibly a “I was here first and everything is mine!” type of deal? I feel like I’ve tried so much, but it’s just not going to work. Other than that, she is the most amazing dog in the world. Any suggestions?

Sephy marked on a soft dog-bed and a cushion soon after we got a second dog. In Sephy’s case, I think the behavior arose from the stress and uncertainty of big changes to his routine and environment.

I stopped him both times and sent him outside, but I also quickly re-established a very consistent routine for him, and very consistent rules. I think the consistent routine, more than anything else, helped him to calm down and adjust to the new changes. He has not repeated the behavior, and did not do any marking when we got a puppy last year. However, this time, we made sure to keep him on a fixed routine and only slowly introduced puppy to him.

I think Sephy really likes knowing what to expect from the people and dogs around him, and also what is expected of him in return.

Also, during Lara’s puppyhood, I would sometimes tether her to me when I was working in the kitchen. That way, I am there to supervise and she cannot run-off to pee in the corner when I am not looking.

I have a 5 year old male shiba. He was very easy to house break had no real issues until first we moved and he barks all the time to the point he goes hourse. If that wasn’t bad enough I had a baby things have been fine until now. My son is 3 and is no longer in my dogs eyes beneath him. My son is older and more vocal telling him to come or trying to play etc. he is now poopong and peeing in every place my son has toys or his bedroom. I thought it was isolated to just my son but now it’s moved to my husbands office and the walls. What in the world do I do?! I have had to either keep him outside or when he barks to much move him into the garage. So he is no longer in the house. I hate doing that but I’m sick of cleaning it up. My female shiba has changes since I started separating him from her and us. She is much happier without him around. I almost want to give him away. Although only to someone I know. I don’t know what to do please please help me or give me some idea. He’s ruining my house. My other shiba is awesome very obidiant sweet. He wants to be a lap dog and be pet every minute of his life. He’s not aggressive just annoying at this moment. Thanks for any help you can provide. I’m at my wits end and I’m expecting a baby soon. So per in the floor is a no go.

It sounds like it could be from stress. When we moved several years ago, Sephy’s behavior also changed. Everything around him was new, the moving schedule was new, there were just many changes in a short time. He did not know what to expect, and became stressed.

Some things that helped with Sephy- 1. I re-established a very fixed routine right away. Sephy likes his routine so I planned things out for him and stuck to the same routine every day. 2. I gave him many positive outlets to relieve his stress. I took him on long daily walks (in a quiet place in the neighborhood). We had play sessions every day, in particular his favorite chasing games. Sometimes, we also had supervised play sessions with a friendly dog. 3. I set him up for success. I made sure he had nice place to rest and have some peace and quiet when he needed it. I don’t force him into situations that I know that he cannot handle. I start small, and slowly build up his confidence to the new surroundings.

As for pottying in the house, whenever there is any regression, I just go back to potty training basics – reintroduce supervision and a fixed routine.

Hello! I have a 2 year old male, fixed Shiba named Warren. He is pretty good, but he sure knows how to push my buttons! The thing that is bothering me the most about him is that he barks at my neighbours all the time if he is alone outside. He has met them, he has seen me talking to them but that doesn’t seem to help. He only does this if he is alone outside. What should I do? He has always been like this and I feel I have tried everything. Thanks for the website, it is really great!

Sephy will sometimes bark to alert me of the unusual. If there is unusual activity in my neighbor’s house, or if people walk by with dogs, he will alert me. That is a good thing, so I go and check things out, and thank him for doing his guard duties well. He usually stops barking as soon as I get there.

One time there was a mouse in my garage, and Sephy barked at the garage door to alert me. In this case, he did not stop barking until we went into the garage together to check things out – which was also a good thing because that was when I heard the mouse.

Other times, Sephy may vocalize when he wants to get attention or to get me to do something for him. This is not behavior that I want to encourage, so I no-mark the behavior. If he stops, then I reward him by giving him attention, or opening the door for him. If not, I ignore him and he doesn’t get what he wants.

Is Warren barking to alert you of possible threats? Or is he barking because he wants to go meet and play with your neighbor? Or is he barking because there is something interesting going on and he wants to check things out? Or is he barking because he is fearful?

Hello, thank you so much for the website! Loads of great info here! We have a 9 month young male shiba (Kuma) and we’ll be picking up a female in about 7 weeks when she turns 8 weeks. I was able to teach Kuma to sit, lay down, and shake hands when he was only 3 months old and it only took a few days for him to learn all 3 commands. However, I’ve had bad luck with getting Kuma to go out on walks. I originally used a harness but he would just sit down and not budge. Now I’m still trying but with a collar instead and with the same results. Also, I made the mistake of rough housing with Kuma so now he’s used to it. My question is, since I haven’t been diligent in properly “training” Kuma, is 9 months old too late to get back on track? I have a feeling it’s never too late but with the stubborn nature of these breeds you never know. Thanks in advance for your time and keep up the good work!!

In terms of retraining, I made a lot of mistakes with Sephy in the beginning. I didn’t get my act together until about 5 months in, when I switched away from using aversive techniques. By that time, things were pretty dysfunctional and our relationship was not a good one.

Luckily, Shibas are very resilient. 😀

I changed my way of training, did a lot more research into a wide range of training techniques, observed Sephy carefully to identify his motivators, and put a lot of effort into timing, patience, and consistency. After that, things improved significantly.

Sephy will still throw in a few Shiba-moves now and then, but he is quite a fun fella to be with.

In terms of walking, Sephy also likes to sit around, look at people, and sniff the wind. I usually let him do that during our walks. When it is time to move on, I tell him to get moving. Sometimes, he will try one of his moves and not want to go.

Some things that I do to get Sephy moving- 1. I scrape my shoe on the concrete sidewalk. It makes a noise that he does not like and will frequently get him up. 2. I lift him up by his chest into a sitting position, and then start moving at a brisk pace. 3. Initially in our training, I would prevent him from lying down when we stop. It is easier to get him moving from a sitting position. 4. I play the Find-It game with him, which is fun and usually gets him engaged and moving.

Hi, I’m adopting a 3yr.old male shiba already neutered.I was told by the guy showing him to me that he was loyal, affectionate, and easily trained,but from what i’ve read it’s complete oppsite. Everyone’s stories are wonderful, but some kind of scare about potty training. I have never own this type of dog before, or even crated before. I work night shift 1130pm-730am Sun-Thurs. I really don’t want to give this little up, but I don’t want to make a real big mistake by getting him.Please help

In terms of potty training, this is actually one area where Shibas are generally quite good at. Sephy was already potty trained when I got him at 10 weeks old. He is very clean and very particular about not doing his business in the house. He usually prefers to do his business during walks, and will only go in the backyard when he really has to. Is the 3 year old Shiba already potty trained? It would be unusual if he wasn’t.

There are of course exceptions to this. For example, Shiba puppies that are from puppy mills or pet stores may be used to soiling their sleeping area because they are kept for long periods of time in crates or cages. In these cases, extra work will have to be put into retraining the behavior.

Another thing that took some getting used to with Sephy is his aloofness. Shibas are loyal, but they are usually aloof. For example, Sephy is a lot less affectionate than my Sibes. He is frequently happy to be off by himself doing his Shiba things. In contrast, Lara, my younger Sibe loves to sleep by our feet and Shania loves getting tummy rubs. Sephy will sometimes request tummy rubs, but *a lot* less frequently when compared to my two Sibes.http://shibashake.com/dog/shiba-vs-siberian

Did you interact for long with the Shiba? Who was showing him to you – the owner? a foster parent? What is his history? What is his routine? Have you seen him interact with other dogs? children? What kind of training has he had? How did he act around his owner/foster parent? Why is the owner putting him up for adoption? Usually, rescue places are very willing to take a dog back if things don’t work out, is this the case here as well? Does he have any problem behaviors?

No dog is perfect. If someone is trying to sell me a perfect dog, especially a perfect Shiba, I would have a lot of questions and concerns.

Our 4 and a half month old shiba puppy has a way of playing that we call ‘boxing’ when she raises her two little paws and repeatedly hits the other dog. It always causes the other dog to bite her. We try to stop this behavior, but she always does it when she sees another dog. Is there anything we should do?

Heh, yeah I noticed my Sibe puppy Lara doing that as well when she was small.

In general, if Shiba Sephy does something that I do not like during play (e.g. humping), I no-mark the behavior, and stop play briefly. In this way, he associates the behavior with “no-play”, which will discourage him from doing it in the future.

I have just adopted an under 2 months old Shiba Inu. Even though I had pet dogs almost all my life this is one that beats it all. At the early age of only 50 days, when I got her, Creamy Deli, She was very mouthy. The mouth would go for everything and anything. I am still trying to get her to stop biting altogether but I doubt that is possible. So next option would be bite inhibition.

Before finding your wonderful site, I tried smacking her, which obviously did not work. With your technique of isolation, it worked. she still nibbles my fingers and opens her mouth on my arm but does not apply hard pressure. It scares the wits out of my 2 sons. How can I make her totally stop that? Or is it possible to stop that?

Will be writing more as the following days and months as we all learn to get used to her and she to us. Like a growing process.

Yeah they can be very mouthy. Sephy was like that as well. He was a holy terror. 😀

I usually start by redirecting puppy onto a toy. Puppies often mouth in play so I try to teach them it is ok to mouth on toys, but not so much on people. If he redirects, then I reward him by playing with him. If he does not then I withdraw my attention (fold up my arms, stand up, and ignore him).

If he stops biting, then I give him a simple command, e.g. Sit. If he does that, then I go back to playing with him. If he escalates his behavior and bites at my clothing then he goes to timeout.

The nice thing about toy redirection and giving an alternative command is that it gives the puppy something else to do that is positive. In this way, puppy learns alternative more “people friendly” behaviors.

When I give my young Sibe (Lara) tummy rubs, she usually gets excited and wants to start playing. Often, she will grab a nearby toy on her own, because she is now used to that behavior and knows that she will get rewarded for it. If there are no toys nearby, I make sure to get one for her.

Hi I was directed to this website by doing some online research on shibas. A couple months ago I moved to Japan with my husband, who has been stationed here with the military. Being in a foreign country unable to speak much of the language, I am unable to have a job so I figured this would be a great time to offer to help with a rescue dog – something I had always wanted to do previously but with my extremely busy work schedule, had no time for a dog. The opportunity came rather quickly. A member of the Navy, who also gives a great deal of his time to German Shepherd rescue, was alerted to some dogs in need. A Japanese breeder, who is suspected to have owned a puppy mill, was hospitalized with advanced cancer. She had paid people to care for, and feed her dogs, but no one ever came to care for the dogs. The Navy guy came and saved as many dogs as he could – but by the time he made the 6 hour trip there, only two dogs were left – a shepherd and a shiba. The Shiba was fostered for a day by a lady willing to help, but she soon contacted me requesting my help because her two dogs disliked the shiba. I, having waited for this moment of dog rescue for years, readily agreed to take in the shiba, not really knowing what I might be getting into. On that Sunday, about a week ago, into my home walked a timid, malnourished black and tan shiba who immediately lifted a leg and peed on my wall. I remember thinking “Oh crap…” as I looked at the dog and then at the desperate look in the lady’s eyes who explained hopefully “I think he just did that because he’s really nervous. That should go away as he gets comfortable” So I’ve taken on this unfortunate shiba, that we have named Kitsune (means fox in Japanese), who is a 6 year old male, never neutered since he was a “stud dog” at the puppy mill, and never trained. We even tried commands in Japanese just to make sure he had no training and he gives no response. He has made quite a few improvements – initially he cowered and trembled at all hand movements, held his tall low instead of the cute shiba curl, and he looked emaciated, his coat dull and dry from lack of food. Kitsune now holds his head high, prances around, his tail is back to its curl, he happily welcomes head scratches from all, and his coat and weight are starting to improve a bit. He has very few shiba characteristics – isn’t aggressive, doesn’t bite, is not overly dramatic. He tolerates the abuse of my cat who will walk up and swat him with her paw (that fact that he doesn’t even bark at her is close to saintly). Kitsune loves the children in the neighborhood even though they come up to him with a lot of noise and excitement – he seems to have a certain affinity towards them. He is gentle, and generally calm, and didn’t even flinch when getting shots and micro-chipped at the vet. He has learned to sit (by rewarding with treats) and has learned to come, although he still needs practice. So you are probably wondering, what on earth could be my issue? Well whenever any male is in his presence – human, dog or other he marks his territory. Inside it is lifting his leg on whatever he fancies. Outside, he has peed on my leg, on other dogs, and obsessively on every vertical object he passes. At the dog park, while all the other dogs are having fun chasing balls, playing tug of war and obediently sitting, staying and coming on their owners commands where is Kitsune? Prancing about on his own, pooping, peeing, scratching – spreading his scent everywhere, indicating that the dog park is HIS. Generally he shows no aggression towards other dogs – in fact, after a minute of interest he becomes completely bored with the other dogs. But there are cases where specific male dogs will turn this generally docile shiba into an absolute maniac! I don’t know what it is about these particular male dogs, but for example, the other day it was a young boxer male in my neighborhood who Kitsune chased about the dog park, peeding on him, trying to hump him. The poor boxer had to hide under a bench to get away from Kitsune, and I had to take my incredibly rude dog home. Then again, at the vets office in the waiting room he peed lifted a leg and peed on a fairly geriatric looking male dog, who did nothing to instigate things with Kitsune. When male dogs approach us while out on a walk, he’ll pee on my leg. I’ve tried crate training but he has figured out how to lift his leg and angle it in such a way that it gets all over the floor and barely in his crate. Then while I’m cleaning one spot, he goes and pees in another. He is so quick I can’t catch him in the act, so I can’t discipline him. He is getting neutered tomorrow but several people have told me that Kitsune is too old for that to make any difference now. I think this dog is so wonderful in every other way but I can’t continue with the urinating and dominance behavior he is showing. Its causing stress between my husband and I, lack of attention for my cat Cleo and a messy chaotic home. My patience is coming to its end. Other dog owners have told me to use a shock collar but I think that with Kitsune’s background, which probably included some abuse, a shock collar would be a horrible training device. Things have to change or I will have to find another home for Kitsune. Am I right to find a more shiba-ready home, or is there a solution?? Please help, I feel very guilty considering giving up on this rescue dog!

I do not have much experience in this area. Sephy only marked twice in the house. This happened soon after we got Shania (Siberian Husky puppy). Both times he marked on soft bedding material that Shania had been on.

I supervise very closely during the new-puppy-period, so I was there both times for his marking behavior. I no-marked him (ack-ack) and banished him outside. During transition periods, I usually put a drag-lead on Sephy (only with a flat collar and *not* an aversive collar). If he runs, I just step on the lead, and then take him outside right away.

Sephy likes being in the house most of the time – especially then, since he got to play and have fun with Shania. He did not like losing his in-house privileges, so he stopped marking inside the house. He gets to mark when we go on our daily neighborhood walks, so he has an outlet for his marking instinct.

Several things helped with stopping Sephy’s marking behavior- 1. He quickly learned that he cannot get away with marking in the house. I will always catch him. 2. He always got a negative consequence from marking in the house – he lost his in-house privileges and had to stay outside while everyone else had fun inside. 3. He has an outlet for his marking behavior when we go out on our daily walks.

I also supervise Sephy closely during play sessions with other dogs. I have strict play rules with Sephy and he is not allowed to hump other dogs, or bully them. If he humps, play stops and he has to do a short obedience session with me. If he keeps humping, play stops and he goes on a short timeout.

I have noticed my shiba Stuart will use the bathroom in the house if I’m not paying attention to him. We have lots of playtime during the day but when I am doing chores he we pee right in front of me. He is only 12 weeks old but he has learned so much. He sleeps in a crate and doesn’t ever use the bathroom in there. I just don’t get it. It takes a village to raise and train a shiba

Hey I’m going to get a shiba inu in the upcoming months.Just like you I’ve set my mind on getting it, and it will be my first dog. Can I get some advices on how to raise it, and how will the experience be,thankfully I have alot of spare time as I am only out of the house for about 2 hours and when I’m out somebody else is here. By the way I live in an apartment but I must say that it is bigger than many of the houses I have seen, we have two and a half rooms and a humongous living room, any advices on what to do once we get our puppies.

One of the biggest things I had to readjust my expectations on is the Shiba aloofness. I had dogs while I was growing up and expected Sephy to be similar in terms of wanting to be with people – but that was really not the case. Most of the time he likes doing his own Shiba-things. 😀 He will sometimes ask for tummy rubs, but a lot less often than my Sibes.

In terms of early training, Sephy was already potty trained so I didn’t have to do any of that.

For leash training, I used the start-stop technique and turn-around technique. They seemed to work well on Sephy and now he walks like a champ. I also used a harness during early leash training, or he would constantly be choking himself with pulling – part of the Shiba stubbornness.http://shibashake.com/dog/leash-training-your-dog

Finally have lots of patience and learn to laugh at your Shiba’s antics. And take lots of pictures. I regret not taking more puppy pictures of Sephy and he grew up really fast.